Fiduciary duty is the set of legal obligations a real estate agent owes to the client they represent. It requires the agent to place the client's interests ahead of their own and to act with the utmost good faith and loyalty.
The core duties are often summarized as loyalty, obedience to lawful instructions, disclosure of material facts, confidentiality, reasonable care and diligence, and accounting for funds and documents. Together they define what it means to truly represent a buyer or seller.
These duties are why the agency relationship matters so much. A customer who is not represented, such as the other party in a transaction, is owed honesty and fair dealing but not the full protection of fiduciary duty.